Gwinnett Daily Post

In this 2011 file photo, visitors pack the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park.

STONE MOUNTAIN — An event that some call the "grandfather of arts and crafts exhibitions" kicks off Thursday morning, a juried show featuring more than 400 vendors and touting past attendance of nearly 200,000 visitors.

The 44th annual Yellow Daisy Festival runs through Sunday at Stone Mountain Park's special events meadow.

The gathering features jury-picked artists selected from a pool of applicants. Crafts run the gamut: pottery, fabric, painting, jewelry, sculpture, bigger, photography, fine arts and traditional arts and crafts.

Public Relations Manager Jeanine Jones said the festival is the largest of its kind in the South. "It's quite a unique setting as well," Jones said.

She added that about 85 percent of those who have attended past events are women. "They come in groups with their girlfriends or moms and daughters or they come with friends," Jones said.

Janet Bell, special events manager, agreed.

"We see packs of grandmothers, mothers, daughters, neighbors and best friends coming together dressed in their yellow daisy outfits seeking that hot craft item of the year," Bell said. "They even get here before the festival officially opens at 10 a.m. to begin their shopping ... and we don't stop them."

Stone Mountain Park is located off Exit 8 on Hwy. 78. For more information, visit www.stonemountainpark.com.